My creative project consisted of the opening sequence from an imagined feature length film. I decided to do this alone and thus took up the roles of director cinematographer and editor. In creating my film I had to go through a process of planning, pre-production, and production. This process is shown on my blog, which spans several months of planning and production. This is the URL: http://niamhcodfilm.blogspot.co.uk/
The planning aspect of the project included setting out my basic aims and context for my film sequence, which included detailing the genre and style I wanted it to be in. I decided I wanted my film to be in the style of American Indie films and be of the comedy-drama genre. From this I needed to go into further detail and research the important aspects of the style and genre. My choice to link the American Indie cinema style with the comedy-drama genre came from researching the style. I did this by reading books and essays on the style and also from watching American Indie films such as ‘Juno’ and ‘Little Miss Sunshine’. Both of these films have serious topics but also contain a substantial amount of humour in order for them to fit into the comedy-drama genre. From this basic information my aims and contexts then also had to link with this and the way such films portrayed their subject matter. Thus I aimed to establish the protagonist and the narrative, with the main aim being to make the audience sympathise with the character. Further to this I aimed to use mise-en-scene mainly, in order to show the characters monotonous lifestyle and hint at the impending change the character faces in the sequence that I was going to create. The mise-en-scene should, then, show the protagonist as someone to sympathise and empathise with. Further to this I also aimed to reflect the current economic climate. I chose to do this as it also fit in line with my chosen style as the American Indie films I looked at as part of my research tended to include a topic that was very present at the time the film was made. For instance ‘Juno’ was centred around teenage pregnancy, ‘Igby Goes Down’ looked at drug abuse and ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ looked at the obsession with having perfect looks, the struggle to find secure employment, drug abuse and also suicide. Thus I watched news reports from the past couple of years and found a common recurring theme of the repression and unemployment, which was appropriate to my given brief and project as well as the basis for my aims.
After creating my aims I then went on to developing the context. This linked, both, with the given brief and my aims. It stated that I would create a 3-5 minute long sequence from an imagined film, which I chose to call ‘Being Xara’. It also explained the roles I would be taking. Included in my context were the details on my chosen target audience and the certification I wanted it to be. My Target audience was 18-30 year olds as this fitted in with my subject matter, as unemployment is a topic, which more closely relates to this age range than any other. Thus I hoped that the film would attract this audience rather then the retired or those under the age of 15. Also I had decided that the protagonist would also fit into this age range, making audience identification more likely. Therefore, due to my chosen target audience, I felt that the film should have the certificate of 15, as those under this age would not find it interesting and allow the rest of the film to contain more adult appropriate language, as it is closer to the crossover audience range. Also the targeted age range covers the mainstream audience those who visit the cinema the most this. This was also a conscious decision as I aimed to include aspects of real-life film industry and focus partially on the box-office side of film production.
After creating my aims and context I then had to develop the narrative and the characters. After choosing to focus on unemployment and the recession I new I had to involve this in some way in my sequence and decided to have the protagonist, Xara Morris, fired in the sequence. This would establish the narrative for the rest of the film and also fitted with my Todorov Narrative structure, as the equilibrium and disruption. Further to this I was able to decide the quest and resolution for the remainder of my imagined film. This in turn made me decide that the story type would be ‘Right of Passage’, which meant the protagonist would go on a journey to become something and be accepted. With regards to my film, Xara would have gone on a journey to become more like herself, as I had decided that her situation was predominantly orchestrated by her friends perceptions of how people should behave, once out of the job she would lose these friends and go on a journey to find what she really likes and the re-equilibrium would be that she has a job she enjoys and also new friends whom are more accepting of Xara.
From here I chose to research my chosen genre, looking at both aspects, comedy and drama, separately in order to get as much information on each as well as how they could fit together. Researching drama I found that they are real-life situations presented realistically. There are two main parts to drama: what happens and to whom and also the discourse. Conflict is often present, or the protagonist being prevented from achieving their goal. Thus they deal with problems within society. I feel that my film successfully fits with this genre as it deals with the current social problem of unemployment. Further to this I have dealt with this subject matter in a serious way. As part of my research for the comedy genre I looked at black humour, as I wanted to have the right level of comedy and humour in my film for it to still remain dramatic and serious, whilst not being so serious that the subject matter caused the wrong emotional response that I was aiming to create. With specific regards to my sequence I feel that I did not manage to include any comedy aspects of my genre. However, I had chosen the genre for the entirety of my imagined film, which would have given me scope to add humour to the rest of the film, should I have wanted to create it. Furthermore in my sequence I was aiming to make the audience sympathise and empathise with the character, and this align them to the character from the offset of the film, and I feel I would not have been able to achieve this successfully if I had included humour. However Comedy was stated to be more focused on single stars rather than a wide-ranging cast. By using one character a driving force behind the narrative I feel I have achieved this part of the conventions of the comedy genre, as the emphasis is on that one character.
After researching the genre, I felt my next step was to research the style I had chosen. In order to do this I watched various American Indie films, as well as a British Independent film, as reference for what stylistics were commonly used in the style. I found that rather than having a big budget to pay for a lot of special effects and action, the relatively small budget for such films meant that more emphasis was placed on the script and characterisation. I also found that the number shots seemed to vary for the opening sequences. ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ used forty shots, ‘Igby Goes Down’ used twenty-five and ‘(500) Days of summer’ used eighteen. As the first two films related more to society I felt that having more shots seemed appropriate for my film. My final version of my film had twenty-nine shots, which I felt expressed what I was aiming it to, Xara’s life was monotonous and also conveyed the shock of being fired.
I then moved on to creating the characters and choosing a title that would best suit my film. I chose the name ‘Xara Morris’ and this enabled me to delve into her past and create a backstory for the character which was relevant for the film. I chose the surname Morris as its origins are from Wales. I thus decided that her father’s background was that of mining. As her mother’s name was not involved in this I decided that her background was that her parents were immigrants from the Second World War, whom had travelled to this country with very little money and prospects. Both of these feature accounted for the way that Xara lived; she had very little money and so could not afford luxury, even in work. This would then lead on to the situation she finds herself in during my opening sequence. Despite having very little money she managed to get into Cambridge, where she met wealthy people who expected her to live similar lives to them, thus finds herself in an office job she dislikes. Creating this information enabled me to understand where my chosen sequence fitted into my imagined film and I was thus able to end the sequence in a way which would transition into further changes in the character’s world. The other character, the manager, was insignificant to the rest of my films, as she would not feature again, thus I chose the name Julia Davidson. This name is not mentioned in the film sequence.
The title I chose was ‘Being Xara’, and I did so as it reflected the narrative of the entire film as well as the Story type. It refers to the fact that at the beginning of the film Xara is not being herself but rather what others want her to be. When the narrative concludes Xara would finally be herself and thus is ‘Being Xara’. I chose this as it sums up the plot without giving it away. Furthermore my choice to use the characters name was partially due to many other ‘American Indie’ films which have the name of the main character or other character in the title. Examples of this are ‘Juno’ ‘(500) Days of Summer’ and ‘Dan in Real Life’.
As I was choosing to mainly focus on mise-en-scene as a stylistic for my film I drew inspiration from multiple films. For example one of these films was ‘Delicatessen’ (1991, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, France). I specifically used the squeaky spring sequence where there are a multitude of characters doing different activities around the building. This helped me to understand how using little items enabled me to relay a message without being obvious. I recurring feature in the sequence from ‘Delicatessen’ was the use of circular shaped objects to show how the characters were trapped in a never ended cycle. I similarly chose to use circular shaped objects, however for a different purpose, which was to show how monotonous Xara’s life was.
I also looked at the opening sequence of two Coen Brothers films, A Serious Man and Burn After Reading, for evidence of use of mise-en-scene. I chose the latter as evidence of a film I had previously seen and the former as evidence of a film I had not seen before. This meant I was able to get a reading of mise-en-scene knowing what the outcome of the film was and also a reading of a film with very little prior knowledge of it. I hoped this would enable me to improve my use of mise-en-scene. In ‘A Serious Man’ I saw that light was used in order to show the way the characters were feeling. The light in between Velvel and his wife showed his enthusiasm for the story he was telling. When she retorts with something which makes Velvel lose enthusiasm, Dora is blocking the light. The background in the house that the couple live in shows how they live a very basic life by them having few amenities. As the camera pans towards the door the light becomes darker which shows that what is on the other side of the door is covered in darkness, creating the sense of something bad. The costume of the man behind the door is also black, which is a sign of evil. This links with the narrative as Dora calls the man a Dybbuk.
Burn After Reading starts with a map which zooms from a large image into on small area of America. This was to show how insignificant the place of the action is and also how the secret that is found by two members of the public is irrelevant. This is a link between the narrative and the location. The writing used for the opening credits is similar to that which is used in spy films when those in the secret service get their missions. This links the CIA with the narrative. The corridor that Ozzy walks down is long and bare showing that He is unaware of what I about to happen to happen to him, and it also creates a sense that something untoward is about to happen. The wall art in the office shows that they are in a CIA building and links with how Ozzy feels, he claims it is political and there are images of political figures on the walls. Ozzy being situated by a door shows that he is being fired. An image links the next scene with this one, which is that Ozzy is claimed to have a drinking problem and in the next shot there is alcohol.
I also had to look at music for my sequence. However the opening song had played a part in my decision for the narrative. It had given me the clue of having a character that was losing something. I chose the Belle and Sebastian song ‘She’s Losing It’ which had two effects. The song sounds upbeat but the lyrics were quite negative, the repetition of the line ‘she’s losing it’. Thus the beat of the song was contrapuntal to my clip, which has a sadness and downbeat notion to it. However the lyrics linked closely to it as the character was on her way to losing her job.
I chose the song ‘Canzone Africana 4’ by Ludovico Einaudi as it connoted something melancholic which was what I intended for my sequence. This meant that it showed how the character felt and also helped to persuade the audience to feel this way also. However I had not intended for this to be used I had aimed to use original music in my sequence which would have been tailored to exactly how I wanted it. This was where I encountered a problem as, due to timing and difficulties encountered with filming the last part of my sequence, I was unable to complete my sequence in time to be able to have someone write the music for me. However I feel the song I chose to go with instead created the right response that I wanted for my sequence.
I started on the basic script for my film sequence which I then chose to incorporate into my shooting script. This enabled me to have two copies, one which was for reference to what I wanted to be spoken in my sequence and one which was a reference to my entire filming and the action. With my script I aimed to keep the speech to a minimum in order to allow the micro-features of my film to explain certain aspects of the narrative without relying too heavily on what was being spoken. However I also wanted to express the unfeeling nature of business, especially in times of recession. Thus I ensured that when the manager was speaking she said very little and the words she spoke showed very little feeling. Also I wanted my protagonist not to speak as a link to the entire narrative. At the beginning of the film she is not in charge of her life and self. Thus she allows others to do so, which is expressed through my use of having only the manager, a minor character, having speech. I later incorporated the script in my shooting script which enabled me to see where it fit in amongst the action and filming.
Between writing my script and shooting script I also looked at the props and mise-en scene that I wanted to use. In order to create the idea of a monotonous lifestyle I wanted to involve cyclical props in my mise-en-scene as I felt that this would connote the idea of that same thing happening repeatedly, without much change if any. Thus I chose to have a clock hanging on the wall as well as a circular key bowl. Further to this I had hoped to have a ‘Ground-Hog Day’ movie poster on the wall at the back. However, due to cost and availability, I was unable to find and then buy a poster which would have been suitable. Had I been able to get a poster I had aimed to use it as both mise-en-scene that further the narrative, by adding the that notion that Xara’s lifestyle was monotonous, as well as hinting to her personality and interests. The character was someone who was interested in History, film and research and her ideal was that of a historical researcher for film and television. Thus the poster would have linked to the narrative resolution of the entire imagined film, as the job Xara would have managed to get was the afore mentioned ideal job.
Costume, I felt was an important aspect of my mise-en-scene, especially with regards to Xara and the narrative. Thus I specifically chose the costume to reflect the narrative and also as an element of foreshadowing. The first costume was a suit for her work and consisted of a grey blazer, a bright and flowery top and black leggings, with a pair of black shoes, which were a consistent element of the work costumes I had the character wear. The second costume was a dress with the bottom of it being flowery and the top of it being plain, and then a black cardigan to cover it, finally black tights and the same black shoes as in the previous costume. The final costume consisted of a grey top and black skirt, a grey suit jacket, black tights and the same shoes as with the previous outfits. My aim was to hint at the impending change that Xara faced, and also show how this change was negative. I did this by having the final work costume being dull, and lacking colour. This shows how she was not facing something positive, but rather something negative. Furthermore as the previous two costumes had been colourful I showed the impending change by the positioning of the colourful aspects of the costume. The transition from a higher section to a lower section shows the impending change as it descends her body rather than ascends. Furthermore when linked with the final costume the complete transition is shown: from a bright life full of prospects to a dull life without a future.
I have then repeated this with my choice of costume at the end of the sequence. Xara wears three different costumes as she walks down the busy street in the town. This is to show the development of her state of mind and life. The first costume is the same as the third office costume. This is to show how the character behaves immediately after she has been made redundant. The next shot is of her wearing casual clothing, a t-shirt, jeans and a jacket, and her final costume is of her wearing jogging bottoms a vest top and a hoodie. Throughout this entire time she is walking down the same street. This change of costume shows how immediately she does not want to change much and still believes there is a hope that she will be back in work soon. The second costumes is more relaxed and has more colour to it, there is orange on it, which is to show that she has accepted that she no longer has a job. The final costume shows how she has been out of work a long time and she feels sadness and that she has no hope of getting a job again. This costume was both used to represent this and also as a link the rest of the film. The scene I imagined had imagined would have followed this one would have been Xara with her friends as they tell her how they feel about her in this state and decide to leave her. This fit with the narrative of the entire film and I aimed to have this scene to show the progress of how she loses her friends. Furthermore I chose to have three of each as a visual link between the opening and this later scene.
Another aspect of the costume I specifically chose was the way her hair was styled. Throughout the entire sequence her hair is exactly the same, in a tight bun at the back of her head. I chose this style to represent how she is restricted by the job she is in and her friends and then later the situation she is in. That she is unable to express herself for who she is. Furthermore she continues to wear her hair like this even when she is no longer in the job, this is to show how even though she isn’t in a restricting job she still isn’t being true herself. I had aimed to continue this hairstyle throughout the film, with it gradually becoming looser until the final scene when she is finally being herself, and her hair would be free flowing.
Other aspects of mise-en-scene that I had deliberately chosen were in her office and her manager’s office. Her desk and walls are very cluttered, which contrasts with her managers which is free of clutter and has plain walls. I wanted to show how Xara does not fit in the work environment she has found herself in. The cluttered world she lives does not fit with the clean and sterile work environment she is in. Again alluding to the fact that she will soon no longer be in the job. Her cluttered desk also hints at her personality, showing how she is an unorganised person. Also on her wall is a quote from Charles Dickens. This shows how she interested in History and Literature. This was in order to form a link with later events in my imagined film, when she finds her ideal job, as a historical researcher for film and television. The manager’s office I wanted to be very bare to show the sterile nature of this business and also the stark contrast between Xara and the world she lives in. I wanted it to be clear that Xara and Julia, the manager, are very different. Also the sterile office links with what I have the manager say as they both portray her as someone with little capacity to feel for those in worse situations to her, and also inability to show sincerity.
I used a prop twice in two separate locations. This was the laptop and I used it in both Xara’s office and the manager. This was to create continuity, the idea that people in the same business would use the same equipment such as laptops. Furthermore I used the laptops to show different aspects of what each character has been doing. Whilst in Xara’s office I had a spread sheet on the background in order to show the sort of work that the character had to do. When I was describing the character and what she does I had claimed that she worked in administration; however I had not done much research in what this involved, which, with hindsight, I wish I had in order to create a more true to real life environment. The second time I used the laptop, in the manager’s office, I had a line chart on the screen. This was a chart showing the recent trend in employment and income for the company. I wanted to have this, as it would mean that I wouldn’t have to put it in my script, and I could avoid the script being the driving force behind the narrative.
I wanted to show Xara as someone who is very secluded and often alone. This in the majority of the scenes she is by herself and does not speak to anyone in any of the shots, apart from when talking to her manager. Thus at all times she stands alone despite there being a lot of people around. This is furthered by the shots in the train station; Xara listens to music using her earphones, in order to seclude herself further by allowing in minimal noise. Furthermore I changed the sound so that it sounded as though the audience is listening with her. This was done in order to create audience identification and align them with the character, making it a shared experience, and one that appears to alienate the character, and thus audience, from everyone else. I felt that I would best align the audience to the character by creating the effect that they were hearing what Xara was hearing.
I also used my mise-en-scene in order to allude to the impending changes to Xara’s life. This was in the train station. When the audience first see Xara in the train station there is no train behind her. The second time we see her, a train is pulling into the train station. And the final time the train has stopped in the station. I had not initially aimed to include this, however when I was filming in the station there, and on the platform I was filming also there had been a train which left the station in reverse order of the film sequence. I had filmed the final work costume first, with the train parked in the station. Next I filmed the second work costume as the train was leaving the station and finally the first costume when there was no train there. When I arrived at the station and discovered that there was a train there that would be departing soon I decided to start filming as I knew that the train would help the narrative. I felt that the train in the station showed how something was going happen which would restrict her life, whilst at the beginning no train shows how she had a relatively unrestricted life. Finally the second time she is in the station shows that she is on the road to the change due to the train moving into the station. When I filmed this section, however the train was pulling out of the station. Thus I needed to reverse this in order to achieve my idea. I did this by using a video effect which allowed me to turn the clip around, creating the effect that I wanted.
I, however, encountered some problem with my mise-en-scene. I had hoped to have history books on the bookshelf in Xara’s hallway. This was to show her interests and to form a link with later on in the imagined film. However due to the space and the shape of the hallway that I used I was unable to get the bookshelf in the shot, and thus the audience could not see them. Furthermore I was unable to get specific objects that represented the work that Xara was in during the sequence. Despite this I do not feel that it has affected the outcome of my sequence in terms of the message I wanted to convey to the audience. Nor does it affect the alignment of the audience and Xara.
During filming I also encountered other problems. This was mainly with the last section, as Xara walks down the street. In my storyboard and my shooting script, I had planned to have people crossing in front of Xara in order for me to edit it so that the audience could see the lapse in time. However at the times I had been filming there had either not been enough people or people did not want to cross in front. As a solution I decided to use people as those who were to walk across the shot. However this caused another complication, as it would not edit as smoothly as I had hoped, and her position moved across the shot. Thus I decided to change my idea and instead used cross dissolves for the shots. From this I decided to make the last dissolve longer than the previous one and include the footage of the two people walking across the screen. This meant that they were slightly blurred and faded. This created the desired effect of showing Xara’s life to be blurring together and how she has lost her focus. This then linked with my choice of costume creating a specific meaning for the audience.
Another aspect of my editing, which I changed from my original planning, also improved meaning. I had planned to use different editing at the beginning of my sequence during Xara’s travel to work. I originally wanted to have each shot of the same action next to one another with the only thing changing being Xara’s costume. However this meant that the sequence lacked fluidity, which I felt was necessary for my film; the fluidity of editing would match the idea of Xara’s life being monotonous, with very little change occurring.
To ensure that it was understood that my sequence was the opening to a film I added a short title sequence. This included ‘A Niamh O’Donnell Film’ as well as the title ‘Being Xara’ for this I chose a pale blue colour for the first screen and I chose a burnt orange colour for the title. This formed a visual link with the first shot of the hallway as on the right hand wall a letter rack hung that included some material that was of the same colour. Furthermore I chose font which looked similar to writing and then had each letter revealed by using a wipe edit. This served dual purposes as it appeared as though someone was writing, thus a personal message, which matches the film as I had aimed it to be a personal story of Xara’s development. Also it matched the message I wanted the title to have and the narrative that Xara was learning to be herself and by the end of the film she was finally being Xara. Thus revealing of the title in this way, matches Xara’s development.
Once my film had been finalised I asked various people to watch my film, giving short, but developed answers about what they had watched. I received similar answers to the questions due to there being multiple genders I removed the question asking their gender. The answers to the questions are the collective answers of all who took part in my Audience feedback questionnare:
Age: 18
Initial thoughts on sequence:
Positive. I think it shows that jobs are at risk currently, which effect people massively, such as the character. I think the storyline as a whole sends out a very strong message to people looking for a job, those out of work and those in work. It can happen to anyone and you cant control it. The sequence is almost like a warning to the public to be careful and don’t let your job ruin your life.
It was intriguing to know what would happen to Xara and I thought the repetition of every day motions was clever. Due to the simplicity and predictability to her life, made me think it would not stay this way.
Initial thoughts on the protagonist:
Independent, not had much luck in the past, earns enough to get by, her body language suggests she is unhappy, and she has her head held high suggesting she tries to hide and fight this, she is also very scruffy. She appeared quite lonely as she did not spontaneously interact with anyone. She seemed sophisticated and driven, as though she knew exactly what she was doing.
How did you respond to the characters in the situations they were in?
Xara:
Working class, unlucky, she does as she is told, without arguing. I felt sad for Xara as she was fired; also, I felt empathy towards her during the opening as she did not seem happy with her life as it was.
Julia:
Middle class hard working, and aiming to make her business the best It can be. Someone who is struggling under the pressure of the economy. She is not exactly very feeling however when dealing with her employees and will just go for it when firing someone. I did not feel much for Julia, as she seemed to be a passing character who would not play a great role in the film, however was included in this scene as someone to show what had happened to Xara.
Could you tell that Xara was going to be fired before it happened?
No because the music is happy at the beginning of the sequence. The locations are normal and there is nothing that sticks out nor is it obvious that the ending will be unhappy. So I think that once you’ve watched the video it makes you realise that reality can hit people hard and unexpectedly. I could tell she was going to get fired as Julia sat down to speak to her. Prior to this, I felt something negative would occur, however, I had no specific thoughts of what it would be.
How do you feel the character’s situation fits into today’s society and working life?
The video fits well into society, as at the moment a lot of the population will have experienced something similar if not the same. With the recession, people are fighting to stay in their jobs the sequence shows it is hard to stay in work at the moment. Her position appears respected by society as she may perform a role which is currently vital in our current working climate.
What genre would you sat the sequence suggests the film fits into?
The genre I would say the sequence fits into is drama.
Due to the subject matter of the sequence what certification would you give the film?
I would give the film a certificate of U or PG, as there was nothing deemed inappropriate for a certain age group.
Further to the previous question, what age range would you say the sequence fits into?
I think the target age is 15/16+ as growing up myself I found that trying to get a job at 16 was hard and people seem to be weary of the younger generation.
Were you able to infer aspects of the protagonist’s lifestyle from the use of mise-en-scene?
Yes as the flat and scruffiness of her character and the fact that she relies on public transport show her standard of living and that she doesn’t fit in with the way she is currently living. I was able to infer that she has a middle-class job; this was due to the laptop which she often used. I felt as though she also lived alone, as no-one else was present for her to interact with. From this, I deduced she was maybe quite a lonely person, but therefore put a lot of effort into her job. Her costume also gave the impression of intelligence and sophistication. The background was important as it metaphorically showed where she was. For example, as she sat in the train station, it was clear she was going somewhere; however this may also have been a reflection of her moving somewhere else in her life.
From the mise-en-scene were you able to tell that something was going to happen?
I think that everyone watching will know that something is going to happen but what that is may not be obvious. Through the repetition of leaving the house and getting the bus/train, this made me think something would happen which would disturb this. Her costume seemed consistent as she appeared to maintain her style and I did not notice any change of props during this part.
Did the opening music help to give you an idea of what was going to happen in the film?
On reflection the opening song links well. The lyrics imply that she is losing her job. But it is not obvious whilst watching it as the song sound upbeat, thus tricking you.
The music was effective and provided an incline to what would happen: ‘She’s losing it’ made it evident that this would happen to her – this became overt when she lost her job. Further, it may imply that later in the film she may ‘lose’ herself.
Did the end music help to set a particular tone the film that would have followed?
The change in music style sets the mood for the last scene and creates pity and sympathy for Xara. It goes from an upbeat song that tricks you to a melancholic song that appears true of how Xara feels and this works well. The closing music set a particularly sad tone which I feel would be present in the following film. It had the ability to evoke an emotional response which I feel was effective in setting the tone.
Was the choice of editing effective in showing the characters lifestyle and her way of life?
The editing is very good as you feel like an invisible person watching an everyday person’s life. I like the use of Xara looking directly into the camera as it interjects the view of the two people in the office. It is very effective and helps the audience to feel Xara’s pain. I did like the editing – particularly the use of music to the media audience and then to a dual audience as Xara listens to her headphones. It showed her again to be quite lonely as she did not interact with anyone, and alternatively listened to music. As Xara repeats the ‘going to work’ sequence, it shows her to be comfortable with her life and shows little spontaneity also. I feel she is an unhappy character, but unwilling to change it.
From this opening sequence would you choose to continue watch the film?
Yes as the music grabs you and it also makes you want to watch Xara’s movements, as I became interested to what would happen to Xara and her lifestyle.
With regards to my aims and context I feel my audience feedback shows how I have managed to achieve what I had set out to do. From my opening sequence people felt that Xara was a character they could sympathise with and they felt sorry for her. They understood that she was meant to be a lonely character and she was thus isolated due to the minimal interaction with people throughout the sequence. Furthermore people understood the link with the recession. However I was unable to show this particularly through my mise-en-scene suggesting that this relied too heavily on my script. Another aspect which I was unable to achieve was with regards to my target audience and my certification. I had chosen my target audience to be 18 to 30 year olds, whilst my audience thought that it was more targeted to 16 year olds and up. From the subject matter included in my film sequence they also gave it the certification of either U or PG which was not what I had aimed, as I wanted this to be a 15. However from watching my sequence again I see that it in terms of appropriateness for children I have not included anything which would be deemed inappropriate for those under the age. My given certificate was for my entire imagined film, to allow me to use more age appropriate language and activity.
Overall, I feel I have succeeded relatively well with my aims and context as I ensured that I got the desired emotional response from my audience and it appears that the audience aligned well with the character also. Through the answers in my audience feedback, I found that through my use of sound, mise-en-scene and editing, I added to the response of the audience, ensuring that My desired response happened, and also that they understood the link between the character’s situation and the recession.
